What is a Rehydration Clause in Boxing?

Last year, when Ryan Garcia registered his career’s first loss against Gervonta Davis, many blamed the rehydration clause for the loss. Months later, today, when David Benavidez is seeking a fight against Canelo Alvarez, the conversation around the infamous, and highly debated clause has crept back into the limelight.

Earlier, the Jalisco-based, undisputed super middleweight champ cited the extra weight Benavidez had put on as a reason to not fight him. In response, boxing enthusiasts remained curious if the latter would agree to a rehydration clause to get the fight rolling. While many would happily accept that just to fight Canelo, Benavidez declined. In its wake, certain experts have argued against the entire idea of a rehydration clause, especially considering how dangerous it can be for the fighter’s health. But, before we get into that, let us first understand what is a rehydration clause.

Rehydration Clause: A Strategy or a Precaution?

In boxing, certain fighters seek a rehydration clause in their contract. Their demand often stems from an argument regarding weight and body proportion disparities. For instance, if a fighter feels that their opponent is bigger than them, then they ask for a rehydration clause in their contract.

Unlike previous generations of the sport, where weigh-ins would happen on the day of the matchup, these days, the official weigh-ins happen a day before the event. Between those hours, there is ample space for a fighter to eat and drink, and rehydrate themselves after meeting the weight. This would give them an advantage, given that their body would be replenished with necessary nutrients and energy.

However, when a rehydration clause is etched into place, a fighter is obstructed from gaining any more weight between the official weigh-in and the fight, disallowing them from consuming any water or food that can increase the weight noted in the contract before the fight rolls around. This is exactly the argument ‘Tank’ used when he demanded a rehydration clause for Garcia. He noted that his opponent was bigger than him and to bring some sense of equality between them, he sought the clause at 135 lbs. To the surprise of even his promoters, Ryan Garcia agreed to the clause.

However, like Garcia, many argue that the clause is detrimental to a fighter’s game on fight night.

What’s the problem with a rehydration clause?

Experts argue that a rehydration clause does not allow fighters to replenish the energy that they would lose in days leading to the fight to make the weight. The hours of the window that they have before the fight and after the weigh-in is their only opportunity to replenish themselves with the nutrients they have lost before the weigh-ins. However, if they are not allowed to do so, it leaves them fatigued, dehydrated and weakened.

Trainer Stephen Edwards in an interview last year described such a disadvantage. He noted, “Now if he gotta weigh-in six or seven o’clock in the evening, that’s different, then he could be compromised because you don’t get the water on your brain, it affects you taking a punch. You don’t want your brain rattling up against your skull with no water or nothing to protect it.” He was commenting on the rehydration clause Garcia was accepting in the Gervonta Davis fight.

What recent fights had a rehydration clause?

Well, the first fight that comes to a modern-day boxing fan’s mind is last year’s Tank-KingRy fight. As per their contract, Garcia could not add more than 10 pounds overnight. While media reports suggest that the clause was binding to both fighters, in an interview recently, Garcia outlined that was imposed only on him.

Right after the matchup went down, and folks began discussing the prevalence of the clause in the event, Mario Barrios, Tank’s former opponent also revealed that he too was too forced to accept a rehydration clause for their 2021 fight, which Tank won via an 11th-round TKO. Another name that goes quite well with the rehydration clause is Canelo’s.

For his 2019, Sergey Kovalev fight, their contract demanded both fighters not add more than 10 pounds after they met the light heavyweight limit of 175 lbs. Canelo won that fight via an 11th-round KO.

In the same year, against Daniel Jacobs, Canelo’s team placed a clause in their contract that did not allow both fighters to gain more than 10 pounds overnight. However, Jacobs exceeded the limit by three pounds and was required to forfeit $250,000 per pound from his fight purse. Canelo won the fight on points.

The debate on rehydration clauses continues. Is it fair to let a fighter take the clause? What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.